The U.S. did not become a net exporter of "crude oil," as some others in the energy news media mistakenly reported. U.S. proved reserves for oil and natural gas rose to record levels in 2017. Over the last 40+ years, Prudhoe Bay has produced about 14 billion barrels of crude oil. That 46.3 billion barrels of crude oil represents about 6.5 years of total U.S. consumption . Put another way, this is enough natural gas to supply all of our nation’s gas-fired power plants for about 35 years.

Source: Forbes December 10, 2018 15:11 UTC